Brian
CHERER Narrated Perception and Virgil's
"Subjective Style"
In this paper, I will
analyze Virgil's innovative use of a narrative technique
more familiar, perhaps, to students of modern literature,
especially the psychological novel. This technique, widely referred to
as "narrated perception" (although some prefer to call it
"free indirect perception") serves to convey a
character's perceptions without their being explicitly
introduced or "tagged" by such expressions as "he saw",
"she heard", etc. That
"narrated perceptions" are to be attributed to a
particular character, rather than to the narrator
(despite common practice), can be inferred from context.
Such contextual clues include, most prominently, the exclusive
use of progressive tenses (especially the imperfect,
where appropriate), proximal deictics, and third person
reference. More
obviously, any instance of "narrated perception" requires
the "on-stage" presence of some perceiving character. By citing examples of narrated
perception mainly from Book 1 of the Aeneid,
I shall argue that Virgil exploits the "figural
potential" of this technique in order 1) to establish the
main character's nearly constant, though fluctuating,
subjective presence in the narrative; 2) to establish the
narrator's close affinity (or, as some prefer,
identification) with the main character; and 3) to
diminish, if not completely efface, the narrator's own
presence by allowing certain other, competing
subjectivities (of Juno and Cupid, for instance) to take
his place.
Once I have
laid out the theoretical and historical background for my
topic, I shall proceed to analyze Virgil's use of
narrated perception by examining the 6 or 7 examples of
it in Book 1, starting with the passage that presents
Juno's perceptions upon her arrival at Aeolus'
cave (52-7), and concluding with the passage that
presents Cupid's perceptions of the banquet that Dido has
given in honor of her Trojan guests (699-711). In between these passages, I shall
discuss Virgil's skillful use of narrated perception to
describe the storm, the city of Carthage, and, of course, the
Trojan War murals in Juno's temple, all
memorable scenes of the first book of the Aeneid. This arrangement, I suggest, allows
for the gradual emergence of Aeneas' subjectivity, even
as the narrator effectively effaces his own presence.
Moving beyond Book 1, I shall discuss select scenes in order
to judge the extent to which Virgil uses narrated
perception throughout the remainder of the poem, paying
special attention to its use in Book 2, where Aeneas
assumes the role of narrator.
In the end, I shall argue
that narrated perception provides a--if not,
the--major means by which Virgil effectively
evokes the subjectivity of particular characters, while
effacing his own narrator.
To this extent, I hope to provide a more plausible--or, at
least, a more theoretically sophisticated--explanation of
Virgil's infamous "subjective style". At the same time, my study
addresses broader narratological concerns, particularly the need
to refine the concept of internal focalization--a
necessary first step in any study that deals with the
early deployment of this potent narrative technique.